The Broken Road
by TheHurricane808
Summary: Criminal Minds Fic - JJ can no longer deny the nature of her relationship when she lands in the hospital. Will she allow someone to mend her heart that was shattered so carelessly? JJ/OC, Will never happened, Henry later on. Slight AU this will be set in season 1 or 2 but has Rossi and Prentiss. Slight crossover with CSI:NY. Rated M for violence, abuse, and language.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I do not own any part of Criminal Minds or CSI:NY, if I did I wouldn't be neck deep in college debt. I will try to update as soon as possible but I'm currently working on 2 major writing projects. Also, I've done song-fics in the past but this is my first full on fanfic. I'm not exactly sure where I want to take this story or on an exact ending. I'm just gonna see where it takes me so I hope you enjoy!**

The drive from New York to Quantico usually takes 4 hours; Jason Kotaki did it in 2. Not that he was paying any attention to the time though. As soon as he got that call from Emily, he only had one thing on his mind: JJ.

**2 hours ago:**

Jason had always hoped that call would never come. But in all his hope, he wanted to be prepared and made sure he had a second go-bag ready. Jason was taken aback when he looked at his caller I.D. to see "Prentiss" and immediately came out of his half-asleep state.

"Emily," Jason answered as he shook off any trace of sleep in his voice and replaced it with worry.

"Jason, it happened," Emily's voice broke.

"Where is she?" he asked her as the anger was evident in the question.

Emily took a deep breath trying to steady herself, "Memorial."

"I'm on my way," she heard him say as the phone hung up.

Jason jumped out of bed, threw a hoodie and shoes on, grabbed his bags and practically ran out of his front door.

During the drive, his thoughts drifted between JJ and the sick bastard who did this. Jason's knuckles went white as he gripped the steering wheel tighter when his mind settled on… him. And soon, all he could think about was beating the life out of him. Beating him for all the times he ever laid a finger on her. Beating him for every sad and painful tear he ever made her shed.

Through all the violence that ran through Jason's mind, his thoughts kept bringing him back to JJ. He thought of the first time he saw a genuine smile from her.

They had just found those missing teenage girls back in his home state of Hawaii. It was the first case he ever worked on with the BAU and the first time he met all of them, including JJ. The girls were reunited with their families and he caught a glimpse of JJ smiling as each girl hugged the ones they loved.

Jason could've sworn his breath caught in his throat. He thanked the universe that no one was around to talk to because he probably wouldn't have been able to speak. He just watched her smiling.

He remembered trying to get her smile off his mind. _She has to have a boyfriend. There is no way that girl is single..._ His thoughts trailed off as Emily approached him. That's when they got to talking, and that's when he learned about Chad- the boyfriend. The very reason he was now speeding down the freeway towards Memorial Hospital in Quantico, Virginia.

Jason wanted to get angry again. He wanted to get so angry, but he refused. JJ had seen… and felt… so much anger already. She deserved to see caring and kindness from a guy. She deserved to look into a pair of eyes that comforted her and eased her fears and made her feel safe.

So for the rest of the ride, Jason only concentrated on JJ's smile.

* * *

Emily paced back and forth between the elevators and waiting area on the 3rd floor of the hospital. Penelope sat in a chair with her head in her hands trying to control her emotions. They both knew this night would come if they couldn't get JJ out of her relationship with Chad. They just thought they had a little more time to convince her to leave.

Emily stopped in her tracks when the elevator opened and Jason stepped off.

"Jason!" Emily rushed to hug him.

Garcia noticed the exchange and ran to greet him the same way. Jason noticed Emily's bloodshot eyes and the tears still streaming down Penelope's face and his heart ached.

"Oh Penelope…" Jason hugged her back. He looked at both women when he asked, "Where is she?"

"307," Emily answered. Jason began to walk in the direction of the room but Emily gently grabbed his arm to stop him. Jason looked at her confused. "It's bad Jason…"

Jason's expression turned from confused to concern, "Tell me."

Emily took a deep breath and gave Garcia a look. She nodded in encouragement for Emily to begin. "She has 3 broken left ribs along with 2 cracked ones on the right. She has a concussion and both lips were split open. And the bruising…" Emily trailed off as a tear rolled down her cheek.

Jason gave her hand a comforting squeeze and a nod before he continued to the room. When he got to the door, he took a deep breath to brace himself for the sight. He slowly opened the door and the air left him as he saw her.

He closed the door behind him and walked towards her sleeping body. Even though the room was dimly lit, the only thing he recognized about her was the blonde that fell around a bandage wrapped around her head. Jason reached a hand up and very gently pushed the hair covering her face away. Emily was right about the bruising… it was **everywhere**.

Jason pulled a chair up next to the bed and took her hand, being careful of the bruising there too. He gently rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb while watching her sleeping frame. After a moment, he placed a light kiss on her hand and brought it up to his cheek. He closed his eyes as he held her hand there hoping she could feel the warmth in her sleep.

"JJ…" he whispered, "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry I wasn't here to protect you…"


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So I completely apologize for taking long with this update. I had this chapter half written until I came down with a mean cold. And this chapter came out a lot longer than I planned. Which I hope is a good thing 'cause I always read how people want longer chapters. Anyways, hope you all enjoy.**

**Once again, I don't own any part of Criminal Minds or CSI: NY. The only thing I own is my imagination.**

A shiver ran down her body as her eyes slowly opened. As her vision went from blurry to clear, she sat upright against a cold wall. Her head moved from left to right, scanning and taking in where she was: a room, a cold room. There were no windows, a single light hung dimly from the short ceiling, and a door she was sure was locked. JJ shivered again as fear coursed through her mind and body. Where exactly was she? Would her team find her? Who took her? She could feel tears welling up but forced them to stop as she remembered the last time she was crying it physically hurt…

The last time she cried! It suddenly all came back to her. She remembered what happened that night: Chad, his rage, his fists, the blood. She looked down at her stomach remembering how much it hurt just to breathe, and yet here she sat in no pain. When she saw her hands, she curiously brought them closer to her eyes and saw no bruises. _Am I dead?_ She scanned the room again and thought, _if I am dead, this definitely isn't Heaven._

JJ brought her knees to her chest and curled into a tight ball to try and keep what warmth she had left in her. Resting her chin on her folded arms, she could feel the floodgates getting ready to break. JJ closed her eyes and readied herself for the tears, but something happened. Her eyes shot open and she brought her left hand up again. It felt different from the rest of her body, it felt… **warm**.

As she studied her hand wondering where the warmth was coming from, there was a voice in the back of her thoughts, _JJ... I'm sorry… I'm so sorry I wasn't here to protect you…_ The voice… THAT voice, was so familiar, but she couldn't pinpoint who it belonged to. It obviously wasn't any of the male members on her team, so who? Despite not being able to figure out the voice, JJ felt a sense of comfort from it. It somehow made her feel a little safer in this dark and cold room.

The comforting voice never came back, but JJ continued to look at her hand. The warmth was still there. She curled into her ball again but rested her warm hand against her face, hoping it would help spread the little beacon of heat through the rest of her body.

JJ wasn't sure how long she sat in that position, but something began to stir inside of her. Something deep down made her feel compelled to stand up and walk to the door. She stood and slowly made her way to the only possible exit. She let the warmth in her hand guide her as she placed her hand on the handle. _It's going to be locked, why even bother to try?_ JJ's thoughts ran around in her head as she just let her hand rest on the cold handle. "It'll open…" she heard her own voice say.

With one pull on the handle, the door creaked open and all she could see was light, a dimly lit hospital light.

* * *

Jason didn't realize he fell asleep until he was woken up by movement. He wiped the sleep from his eyes as JJ stirred and let out a painful moan. While still holding onto her hand, he stood from the chair so he could get a clear view of her face. Jason wanted his eyes to be the first thing she saw when hers opened.

JJ stirred more and Jason watched as her blue sapphires slowly revealed themselves. JJ's body stiffened as she sensed someone was watching over her. Her vision cleared and her body relaxed when relief flooded over her. She stared into those caring, soft, and familiar deep brown eyes. JJ reached up painfully to touch his face. She had to make sure he was real and she wasn't dreaming. Her voice was barely a whisper, "Jason…?"

Jason smiled and covered her hand that rested on his cheek with his own warmth, "Hey you." He could feel the strength in her arm fail as her hand no longer touched his face but rested in his own. Jason laid her hand back down on the bed, but kept holding onto it.

JJ broke her gaze away from the comforting eyes and frowned. She seemed to finally take in her surroundings, "Where am I?"

"At the hospital," Jason whispered soothingly.

JJ's eyes suddenly went wide and the ocean blue color dulled. Her heartbeat quickened and her breathing became shallow. She felt like the walls were closing in on her and her eyes darted back and forth. Jason quickly realized she was starting to have a panic attack and gently stroked her forehead. In his most soothing voice, he tried his best to stop it, "JJ… it's OK. You're safe… I'm right here and you're safe. Look at me… JJ, look at me…"

JJ could hear his voice but couldn't see him. She was alone. Alone at some hospital in god knows where. As her eyes shot around her surroundings, that familiar face finally came into focus. He eyes fixated on Jason's as his words began to register in her mind. "That's it… just breathe… I'm right here. You're safe…"

He grew concerned as JJ just looked at him. "JJ?" he asked gently. The bright blue started returning to her eyes. JJ felt so conflicted at that moment. She wanted so bad to just break down. She knew if she did that, Jason would be right there to comfort and soothe her. And if she was being honest with herself, that's all she really wanted right now. For reasons she couldn't explain, Jason felt like her rock that would always be there to hold her up.

Despite what JJ wanted though, Agent Jareau was coming out to take charge. The agent dug deep to bring out her media charm, "I'm fine," she said with a smile that was pretty convincing for her state. As much as he wanted to believe her, Jason wasn't buying it. He had not been a cop for this long and worked countless domestic cases to know JJ was not entirely "fine."

He forced himself not to push her with questions, so he dropped the topic with an, "OK."

JJ however, had some questions of her own, "How did you know I was here?"

"Emily called me," he answered.

"She's here?"

Jason motioned to the door, "Her and Garcia are outside." As if on cue, there was a soft knock on the door and it slowly opened to reveal the two ladies that were just mentioned.

Emily gave a soft smile to the other two, "Hey, can we come in?" JJ gave the biggest smile and just nodded in response. She felt the tears build at the brim of her eyes again. She was determined not to shed tears, but seeing her two best friends made her heart swell. JJ didn't even finish nodding when Garcia rushed in and gave her a hug. Emily and Jason weren't fast enough to stop her.

JJ winced at the pain and Emily pulled their friend off of JJ, "Easy Garcia!"

Realizing what she did, Garcia immediately became apologetic, "Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry my sweet pea!"

JJ smiled through the pain, "It's OK, really." Garcia shook some of the guilt off her face, but her tear streaks remained. JJ looked between her two friends, "Where's the rest of the team?"

Emily's face fell, "Hotch and Reid went to your place. Morgan was hell-bent on finding Chad, so Hotch sent Rossi to make sure if he was found that Morgan wasn't the one who ended up in cuffs."

The media liaison could feel the agent in her break apart again, "When… when can I get out of here?"

That was a good question. Jason looked at Emily and Garcia who looked just as lost as he did. He was the first to come up with a good answer, "I'll tell you what, I should probably let Mac know I'm not in New York right now. After I make a couple of calls, I'll go find your doctor and see if he can get you out of here."

JJ's brow furrowed as she processed what Jason had just said, "Your boss doesn't know you're here?"

"I uh, I kinda hit the ground running," Jason blushed a little. The slight redness in his face didn't go unnoticed by all three women in the room. A sense of "awe" filled them as they realized this man dropped everything to drive across states to make sure JJ was alright. Jason excused himself and left the room before his face could give anything else away he might regret later.

Once outside, he immediately dialed Mac. It was well past one in the morning, but there was no trace of sleep in the voice that answered. Jason always wondered if his boss ever slept. "Hey Mac, um, I'm in Virginia right now," he said.

Mac was aware of the situation. Ever since Jason and Taylor had come back from Hawaii, he was informed of what was going on. "Is she OK?" concern laced his question.

He sighed heavily when he remembered first seeing her in that bed, "It was pretty bad… and he's still out there."

If anyone knew how to be supportive, it was Mac, "Well, you know best how to help people in her situation. Take as much time as you need down there and keep me updated."

After his call with Mac, he dialed his cousin Taylor to let her know what happened and to take care of his dogs while he was away. Taylor left him with, "You get that son of a bitch Jason and you give him an ass whipping you hear me?"

Jason let out a little laugh. His cousin was just as protective of good people, and could kick just as much ass, if not more. He was brought out of his thoughts by a doctor heading towards him. "Are you Agent Jareau's doctor?" he asked the man.

"I am, and you are…?" he asked.

Jason extended his hand to shake it, "Detective Jason Kotaki from New York."

"Doctor Michaels. New York? You're a bit far from home," the doctor shook the extended hand.

"I'm a friend of Agent Jareau. Doctor, she was wondering when she could go home."

"I was just about to go in and talk to her about that if you want to join me," Doctor Michaels said.

Jason nodded and followed the good doctor in. He looked right at JJ who gave him a relieved smile. _That smile is the most beautiful thing ever _he thought to himself. He returned with a warm smile of his own knowing she was glad the doctor was there and that it would stop Garcia's tirade of hugs.

JJ had to forcefully pull her attention away from Jason's smile as the doctor began to explain things to her. She figured it probably would be best to listen if she wanted to get out of her faster. "First things first, do you have someone who will be around to help take care of you? You need to do as little movement as possible," he lectured.

JJ almost cringed at the "help take care of you" part of his statement. Agent Jareau was strong and self-sufficient. She was never the person who needed help. As she felt every ache in her body, she was painfully reminded that though Agent Jareau would never want someone to take care of her, JJ would **need** it. But before she could give the doctor an answer, Emily and Jason both replied with a "yes" at the same time.

"Good," the doctor continued. "The broken ribs were set and will be painful for awhile. You had a pretty good concussion so try not to make any sudden movements. You may experience dizzy spells and a few headaches. If they get severe please come back right away. Other than that, lots and LOTS of rest and I mean it. And eat as regularly as possible. You need to build your strength back up." JJ nodded as she listened, "With all that said, I will make sure downstairs gets your medication together and your release papers are printed up." She smiled at the sweet words "release papers." The doctors concluded, "I'm very glad you're OK Jennifer, please take care."

Right after Doctor Michaels made his exit, Hotch and Reid walked in. Jason was the first to notice the two agents, "Hotch, Reid, it's good to see you guys."

"Jason, thank you for coming down, we really appreciate it," the two men shook hands.

Jason shook Reid's hand as well, "Of course, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else." JJ felt the warmth in her face as she heard him say that.

"JJ, how are you?" the concern evident in his voice. As simple as the question was, he really wanted to know. Through the years, their relationship of all the members on his team went from co-workers to friends to family. Everyone saw JJ as the little sister they all wanted to protect.

The blonde sighed, "Alive…"

"We need to get you a place to stay-," Hotch was cut off by Emily.

"She'll be staying with me for at least a couple of days. The both of you," she said turning her attention to the New York Detective.

"Emily, I really appreciate the offer but I'm gonna head over to JJ's and start cleaning up," he declined.

Emily wasn't letting him off the hook that easy, his tired state was obvious, "When was the last time you slept?" Jason opened his mouth to give her an answer but realized that it wasn't a very good one so he just sighed. "Yeah, that's what I thought. You both are staying at my place and are welcome to stay as long as you want."

"Thank you," Jason was grateful at the welcome of some rest. Just then another knock on the door and a nurse walked in with some papers and a wheelchair. JJ eyed the wheelchair with horror as Emily signed the release papers.

"Please don't make me get wheeled out in that thing," she whispered, not taking her eyes off the chair.

"I'm sorry, but it's protocol," the nurse smiled and left the room.

JJ closed her eyes and let out a breath. Her eyes shot open at Jason's suggestion, "It could be worse. I could carry you out of here. I mean, I'm not objected to that."

"I'll take the chair," she mumbled in defeat. Hotch and Jason helped JJ get situated in the chair as easily as possible.

In no time, the group was downstairs. Jason left for the garage to get his SUV and Reid and Garcia went to get JJ's pain medication. Hotch wheeled the chair with Emily to the entrance of the hospital. Reid and Garcia returned with the bag just as Jason pulled up to the curb and got out. The two men helped JJ out of the chair and into the SUV. As soon as she was situated, Emily took the bag from Reid.

Hotch addressed the group, "Get some rest, all of you. We'll see each other tomorrow." He reached to JJ and gave her hand a gentle squeeze, "You especially."

JJ smiled to him and whispered, "Thank you Hotch." Hotch returned the smile and the rest of them headed for the garage. Emily hopped in the back of the SUV and Jason in the driver's side.

Before pulling away he looked at JJ, who was staring out the window. "JJ?" he asked concerned.

JJ peeled her eyes away from the outside to look at her feet, "I… I need to stop at my place first. I need to pick up some things."

"Of course," Jason understood why. He looked at Emily in the rearview mirror and she nodded in confidence. He reached over and gave JJ's hand a gentle squeeze. She finally brought her eyes up to look at his and saw a reassuring smile on his face. She returned the smile as she once again felt the warm of his hand. Jason pulled away from the curb and into the night.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Much thanks for the reviews. Thank you all for being patient with me and this story. Once again, I own nothing from Criminal Minds or CSI: NY.**

Morgan paced the office floor for the countless time. Good thing it was late (well, early) because he was alone and pissed off. He would've run the carpet down had he not made the next pivot and was stopped dead in his tracks by Rossi. Rossi saw the anger in Morgan's eyes but the senior profiler was known to never back down to anyone. He countered the angry eyes with comfort in his own. "Go home Morgan. We've done everything we could for the night," he said calmly.

Morgan seemed fired up now more than ever, "I can't just lay in bed while that son of a bitch is out there!"

Rossi still remained calm, "We checked every place he had connections with. He won't get to our girl. She's got Emily and Jason with her, and you know those two won't let anyone harm a hair on her head." Morgan shook his head and continued to pace past Rossi. "Look, we're all going JJ's to fix up her place tomorrow. Get some rest, she'll need you. She'll need all of us."

Morgan finally stopped his walking. Rossi's words finally registered with him. Taking in a deep breath and releasing it heavily, Morgan closed his eyes. "You're right," he said, "I just wanna get this guy and make him pay for how he's treated JJ."

"We all do, and we will. But tomorrow, she needs us. You'll get your chance in time," Rossi said gently but firmly.

Morgan finally gave in, "OK."

The two agents made their way out of the BAU and to their vehicles.

* * *

The black SUV containing Jason, JJ, and Emily rolled to a stop behind a Metro patrol car. Jason and Emily got out before JJ and both helped to get the injured blonde out of the front seat. The three made their way to the front door, where the officer on duty stood ready. Emily pulled out her FBI badge and flashed it to the young cop. Once the poor kid saw the badge and JJ's condition, he knew the house belonged to her. All three stopped at the busted front door.

Jason looked at the young cop's nametag, "Officer Hall, why don't you go grab a bite to eat, we'll be here a bit."

"Um… I… I'm not supposed to leave my post," he said nervously.

"It's OK, it'll just be between us, promise," Emily replied.

Officer Hall took a deep breath as he thought about it. His hunger pain internally made the decision for him, "I'll be back in 45 minutes." And with that, he went to his patrol car and drove off.

Jason looked in through the broken door, "Let me check it out first." The two girls nodded as Emily took JJ around the waist to support her. Jason pulled his gun out and slowly stepped through the entrance. The girls watched him clear the front rooms and disappear into the rest of the small place. He cleared every nook and cranny in the place, taking mental notes on what needed fixing. 15 minutes later, he was back outside helping JJ in.

"Emily, can you start grabbing some clothes please?" JJ asked.

"Yeah, sure," Emily said and disappeared into her room.

JJ detached herself from Jason's side and slowly made her way around the living room. She seemed to be looking for something. Jason took in the rest of the area: things knocked over, broken picture frames. He looked at the walls and cringed as he pictured JJ's head being hit into the broken areas. He closed his eyes when he saw one area that had blood on it.

His eyes shot open when he heard a soft cry. Jason looked around and realized JJ was nowhere to be seen. His heart broke when it registered to him that the source of the sound was JJ. Jason slowly made his way into the kitchen. If his heart was broken before, it shattered when he saw her on the floor crying. Jason sat down next to her and carefully pulled her into him. As soon as her head hit his chest, the dam broke and JJ couldn't control her tears. He rubbed soothing circles on her back and did his best to comfort her. Jason wanted to say something, anything, but he didn't know what, so he just sat there and held her and let her get it all out.

After a few minutes, she pulled away and looked up at him. Her blue eyes mixed with the red bloodshot color from all the crying, "I'm sorry," she whispered.

Jason, being careful of the bruises, gently wiped a tear from her cheek with his thumb, "You have nothing to be sorry about, you hear me?"

JJ managed a small smile for him and Jason gave her one of his warm ones in return. He noticed she was clutching something in her hand. "What're you holding onto?"

JJ looked down at her hand and slowly opened it to reveal a gold chain attached to a small gold pendant. The clasp of the chain was broken and the pendant looked to be bent and broken. Fresh tears started to form in the blue orbs again as she explained, "This… this was my sister's. She gave it to me before she…" JJ couldn't finish her sentence, but Jason knew. He brought her into him again and held her. She managed to continue, "He broke it. He broke the most precious thing to me." JJ composed herself and put the broken piece in Jason's hand. "Take it. Please get rid of it for me," she pleaded.

Jason just stared at it for a moment. "You can't rid of this. You have to keep it."

JJ looked at him with pleading eyes, "Please," she whispered, "I can't look at it."

Jason sighed, "OK." He put the pendant and chain in his pocket. There was no way he was getting rid of something so precious, it meant way too much to JJ. No, he had to figure out something else.

After a few minutes of sitting together in silence, Jason finally spoke up, "We should go see how Emily is doing." JJ nodded and Jason very carefully helped her up. The two made their way to see Emily trying to decide what to take for JJ.

Emily gave the two a relieved look when they entered. "Thanks for doing that Em, I can get it from here," JJ said with a grateful smile.

"No thanks needed," Emily smiled back, "I'll go grab stuff from your bathroom." She gave JJ's hand a gentle squeeze and disappeared.

Jason and JJ were just about done packing a couple bags up when Emily returned with a bag of JJ's things. The rest was packed up and the three took one last look around making sure they didn't need anything else.

JJ grabbed at her broken ribs in pain as she reached for a bag. Jason stopped her and took them instead, "Oh no you don't. I got these."

"Jason, I'm not helpless," she protested.

"I didn't say you were, but you are injured," he defended. "Besides, even if you weren't injured, I'd still want to carry your bags for you," he gave her that smile. There was no way to ever argue with that smile. JJ looked at the floor before the redness in her face could be seen.

Emily helped JJ as Jason carried the bags out. They stopped in their tracks when they saw a car pull up. Emily's hand instinctively went for the handle of her gun when she felt JJ's body tense. Jason watched intently as the person got out of the vehicle. He let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding when he recognized the person. "It's just Officer Hall," he said. The two agents also breathed a sigh of relief.

Once outside, they greeted the young cop and thanked him for giving them the time. Soon enough, the trio was on their way to Emily's for a good night's sleep.

None of them noticed the man hiding in the shadows.

* * *

He watched them pull up, enter the house, and drive off. He immediately recognized Emily Prentiss but had no idea who the tall, big guy was. It infuriated him to see JJ, **HIS** JJ with another guy. He made a mistake, he knew it. But he was sorry. He needed JJ to understand he was sorry. He needed to **make** her understand it. He would in time, but not now. Chad was not stupid. He knew he would never make it past Emily and the big guy. No, he would bide his time until the moment came when she would be his again.


End file.
